The Government is formulating a policy that would aim not only to resolve problems of sportspersons in distress but also to inspire youth to be able to come into the world of sports, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath informed the Lok Sabha on Saturday.
He was responding to the demand raised by the Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj during Zero Hour in the House, urging the government to come out with a comprehensive policy to ensure financial security for sports persons in the country.
Raising the issue of the family of athlete Makhan Singh, she demanded that the Sports Ministry should immediately make provisions to provide financial assistance to the widow and other family members of the sportsman.
“I felt so enthused with the inspiring story in the movie Bhag Milkha Bhag, which I was watching only a day ago. When I heard Makhan Singh's widow saying on a television news channel that she was starving and in order to survive wanted to auction medals which her husband had won, we should be ashamed that we cannot help Makhan Singh’s family who was an Arjuna awardee,” the Leader of Opposition said while narrating the moving plight of former athlete’s family.
Makhan Singh was an athlete during the 1960s. He won a number of gold medals in National Games, and represented India in the 1962 Asian Games. He had defeated Milkha Singh in the 1962 National Games in Calcutta.
After Ms. Swaraj raised the issue, Parliamentary Affairs minister informed the House that the Petroleum Ministry, through its sports federation, would immediately get in touch with the family of Makhan Singh and extend financial assistance to them. He assured the House that the government was taking steps to formulate a policy to take care of the needs of the sportspersons.
